Avon Town Council Considers Sidewalks For Country Club Road

Town officials in Avon are thinking of putting sidewalks on Country Club Road

AVON — People who live on a stretch of Country Club Road will be asked for their views on having sidewalks there before the town decides whether it will move forward with the project.

That was the decision when the town council reviewed cost estimates for the work when it met on Thursday. Originally, it was proposed to build sidewalks on Country Club Road from West Avon Road to Lovely Street. Doing that would cost about $950,000 and at Thursday's meeting the council was given the price for doing a shorter stretch of sidewalks, from West Avon to Stagecoach Road, which is estimated to cost $264,000.

Council members said they support building more sidewalks in town. But the project on Country Club Road would entail getting easements from property owners there and then leaving them responsible for things like shoveling off snow in the winter. Because of that, council members said they want those property owners polled to see what their thoughts are before proceeding.

"We have things we need to do before we feel comfortable doing this, we need to proceed cautiously," council member Douglas Evans said.

Funding is also a concern. In recent years the council has allocated more money in the town's budget for road repairs, which has included repaving the section of Country Club Road that is being eyed for sidewalks.

"It's a balancing act," Town Manager Brandon Robertson told the council. "Every year the public works department asks for money for sidewalks but money has been shifted to roads. That reflects the condition of the roads, they need an infusion of money."

If it goes forward, sidewalks on Country Club Road would be a public-private partnership. The idea was originally proposed by a resident, Anne Marie MacFaddin. She is pushing the idea to make the busy thoroughfare safer for the pedestrians who use it. Those include athletes on Avon High School's cross country running team who often run on that road during workouts.

When she proposed the idea earlier this year MacFaddin she said a foundation she started four years ago in memory of her daughter would raise money for the sidewalks. On Thursday, she told the council she thinks private fundraising efforts in town could bring in as much as $300,000 for the project. MacFaddin said if the town decides next month to move forward next month that fundraising goal could be reached by May.